1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to viewing devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a viewing device including a zoom monocular and a video screen and adapted to be held at eye level by an apparatus.
2. Description of Prior Art
Television broadcasts of sporting events and scoreboard mounted screens typically include features, such as instant replay and player statistics. To enjoy such features people must either carry a television set to the event or constantly look away from the event and at the scoreboard.
While a person may be sitting one hundred feet away from the event, televisions are typically held within a foot or two of a person""s eyes. Glancing between the event and the television requires a person to constantly change their focal point, causing eye strain and fatigue. Such effort greatly diminishes the person""s enjoyment of the event or vice versa.
The scoreboard may or may not pose a similar focal point problem; however, a person typically cannot look at both the event and the scoreboard simultaneously. Therefore, while moving their eyes between the event and the scoreboard, a person may miss an important portion of the event.
Additionally, persons attending sporting events often make use of binoculars to assist in their viewing of the event. Binoculars are most often simply hung about the user""s neck and shoulders using a conventional strap. This means that each time binocular-assisted viewing is desired, the binoculars must be manually grasped, moved to eye level, and held in place.
In many cases, the effort required to use binoculars quickly leads to frustration and non-use. Rather than go through all of the steps required for binocular use, event attendees often decide that it is more enjoyable to forego their use altogether.
Furthermore, it is not practical to use binoculars and televisions or scoreboards simultaneously. Using two such items not only requires both hands, but also includes each of the problems discussed above.
Recently, an apparatus has been developed to hold viewing devices, such as binoculars and video screens at or near eye level, even when the devices are not in use. However, currently available viewing devices do not properly fit into the apparatus, and therefore cannot be effectively supported by the apparatus.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved viewing devices that overcome the limitations of the prior art.
The present invention overcomes the above-identified problems and provides a distinct advance in the art of viewing devices. More particularly, the present invention provides a viewing device including a zoom monocular and a video screen and adapted to be held at eye level by an apparatus having a tray that can be positioned below a user""s eyes. The device broadly comprises a housing designed to fit within the tray of the apparatus, an objective lens mounted to a distal end of the housing, the video screen mounted to the distal end of the housing, two eyepieces mounted to a proximal end of the housing, a manual magnification mechanism operable through the housing, and a manual focus mechanism operable through the housing. The housing seats within the tray and preferably has a substantially flat bottom and two substantially flat sides.
The housing is preferably secured to the tray by a threaded fastener, such as a bolt or a screw. The fastener is driven through the tray into a threaded hole in the housing. The fastener and the hole may be any size, but the fastener is preferably either a wing-type or a knob-type allowing the user to attach and detach the device without tools.
The objective lens is preferably coated with an anti-fog material as is typically done with commonly available binoculars and rifle scopes. The objective lens is preferably sealed within the distal end of the housing such that water is prevented from entering the housing.
The screen is preferably operable to display a color image so that a user wearing the apparatus may view the image. The screen may accept digital or analog signals representative of the image through a video signal connector. As such, the screen may act as a monitor for and accept signals from a computer or video game. The screen may also accept signals from external tuners, video cassette recorders (VCRs), and digital video disc (DVD) players.
Together, the objective lens and one of the eyepieces form the zoom monocular allowing the user to view a sporting event at a magnification of his or her choosing. The screen and one of the eyepieces allow the user to view instant replays and/or player statistics, while watching the event through the objective lens. It can be seen that the user may watch both the event and the screen at the same time without moving his or her head or changing focal points.
The eyepieces are preferably flexible and padded to provide a comfortable fit. The eyepieces may be either contoured or substantially flat. The contoured eyepieces are designed to fit against the user""s face and preferably completely surround each of the user""s eyes in order to block out stray light. Therefore, the contoured eyepieces may extend rearwardly of the proximal end of the housing by as much as two inches. The substantially flat eyepieces are designed to fit against the user""s eyeglasses, and therefore preferably do not extend beyond the housing more than one half inch.
The magnification mechanism and the focus mechanism preferably operate like those typically found on commonly available binoculars and allow the user to adjust magnification and focus of images seen through the device. The magnification mechanism and the focus mechanism preferably extend through and are preferably sealed to a top surface of the housing such that water is prevented from entering the housing.
In use, the user secures the device within the tray using the fastener. The user then puts the apparatus on his or her head and adjusts the apparatus to get a comfortable fit. The user may also be required to connect a cable to the video signal connector in order to use the device. The user may use the device by lowering the tray so that the device is at eye level. Alternatively, the user may discontinue use of the device by raising the tray so that the device is above eye level.
These and other important features of the present invention are more fully described in the section titled DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT, below.